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Kevin's Coffee Shop is part of a vanishing genre of tiny breakfast cafes, with its charming mismatched furniture and prices that look like they haven't changed since the late '90s. That's around the time when Kang "Kevin" Lee took over the luncheonette, located on an industrial thruway in the South Shore town of Oceanside. (It's not to be confused with Demi's Place, a similar looking "coffee shop" a couple of miles away in Island Park.)
The cash-only spot still managed to draw a crowd last week when Lee worked his final shift, announcing his retirement after 26 years at the coffee shop. But good news for the community and Long Island history buffs: The business will remain open under new owners and a new name, FAN Coffee Shop, an acronym of their children's names.
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Maria Majano, who now owns the business with her husband, Felipe Argueta, has worked her way up through the service industry for more than a decade at chains like McDonald's, Burger King and Pollo Campero. Argueta, who works as an endoscopy technician at Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital in Oceanside, originally visited Kevin's after a fishing trip with one of his co-workers. Impressed with the home fries and the low prices, he returned for another visit with Majano and she pressured him to talk to Lee about selling the business. To their surprise, he was open to the idea, they said.
Little did they know, Lee was getting ready to retire and already had several inquiries. He ultimately chose Majano and Argueta because they told him they wouldn't change much about the restaurant.
Argueta recounted, "He mentioned, 'You both bring to mind my wife and me back when I first launched the business.'"
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To prepare for her new role, Majano worked at the coffee shop with Lee for more than a month, learning all the recipes including the signature Kevin Special, which is bacon, egg and cheese on a kaiser roll with home fries for — gasp — $6. On a recent afternoon, the letter board menu on the wall seemed notably unchanged with breakfast and lunch dishes like an $8 burger deluxe meal, $8 omelets and a grilled cheese sandwich for $4. The sign advertises that "all platters come with potato and bread. (Drink does not.)"
The only notable change seems to be a plastic tub on the counter with Central American muffins and bagged pastries. Majano plans to add a couple of dishes from her native El Salvador in the future, like pupusas, empanadas and creamy sweet atole de Avena oatmeal. Everyone who streamed through the under-the-radar spot on a recent afternoon seemed to know each other, which made the place seem like a window into a different time.
"Argueta expressed optimism, stating, 'We aim to be here for many years to support the community.'"
